Oral Anticoagulants

Atrial fibrillation is linked to 1 in 10 deaths. It is associated with a fivefold increase in strokes and accounts for 201,000 hospitalisations every year. Despite this, 45% of patients with high stroke risk are not prescribed anticoagulants, and 43% discontinue therapy after 2.5 years. 

Primary health care nurses in multidisciplinary teams are uniquely placed to make a meaningful impact to address these issues. Counselling patients (and their carers) about their potential individual risk, supporting them to understand how anticoagulants reduce this risk and ensuring that medicines are taken as prescribed are all actions nurses can take to make a big difference.
 

Resources

Clinical article: Atrial fibrillation and stroke prevention: we can do better

This clinical article provides greater context for the issue and challenges and points to how multidisciplinary health professionals including primary health care nurses can provide support.

Understanding oral anticoagulants animation

Animation to share with patients: Understanding Atrial Fibrillation

Care plan

Use this shared decision-making resource to have conversations with patients and carers about lowering stroke risk and managing atrial fibrillation.